Episode 396 (28th September 1964)
Plot Hilda is nervous when Elsie tries to chat to her on the doorstep about the upcoming general election. Hilda snaps at her when she remarks that she looks tired. Lucille asks Hilda to get Trevor to return a pen that she lent him. Hilda tells Stan that she couldn't sleep through worrying about Trevor and what the neighbours will say when they find out what he did. Len calls, saying he knows that Irma was the thief. Stan and Hilda confess to Trevor's misdemeanours. Minnie puts Tickler to work rearranging her back room furniture to create a space in the corner for a surprise, but she can't make up her mind where to put things. Tickler asks Florrie to help finance Stan's wrestling career. Nigel Hunt calls on Minnie, canvassing for the Labour party in the election. Val tells Albert that Trevor was the thief. Jack refuses to get the police involved. Minnie takes Mr Hunt to see Ena. She asks him to call back at 8.00pm. The Ogdens receive a deputation of Jack, Albert, Elsie, Len and Val, wanting to know what they're going to do about Trevor. They tell them he's in London and, under pressure, Hilda says they will all get their money back in a couple of weeks from Stan's wrestling money. Fred Marsh, a Conservative candidate calls canvassing at the vestry. He is also told to come back at 8.00pm. Val tries to chat to Lucille but gets short shrift from her. She tells Albert there is something definitely wrong with the girl. Ena has seen a television set being delivered to No.5 and demands to know from Minnie where she's got the money for it from. Tickler begins a reluctant Stan's training regime with a delivery of weights. Hilda refuses to have them in the house. Overriding Emily's objections, Ena agrees to let Tickler use the mission for 10% of Stan's earnings. 8.00pm arrives and Mr Hunt and Mr Marsh are surprised to be joined at the vestry by Miss Stafford, a Liberal party canvasser. Ena tells them to argue out their differences between themselves while she goes to the Rovers but whoever puts £2 on the pension has her vote. She walks down the street, singing Land of Hope and Glory and chuckling to herself. Cast Regular cast *Jack Walker - Arthur Leslie *Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant *Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss *Valerie Barlow - Anne Reid *Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix *Florrie Lindley - Betty Alberge *Miss Nugent - Eileen Derbyshire *Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson *Charlie Moffitt - Gordon Rollings (Credited as "Charlie Moffit") *Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens *Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander Guest cast *Tickler Murphy - Patrick McAlinney *Nigel Hunt - Jeffry Wickham *Fred Marsh - Roger Rowland *Miss Stafford - Margaret Lambert Places *Coronation Street *5 Coronation Street - Back room *13 Coronation Street - Back room, kitchen and hallway *Glad Tidings Mission Hall - Main hall and vestry Notes *H.V. Kershaw stated in his 1981 autobiography The Street Where I Live, that the election storyline involving Ena Sharples conning all three canvassers to call on her at the same time was an attempt by the programme to cover that topical event while at the same time remaining impartial on the matter. *Fred Marsh, the Conservative canvasser remarks to Ena Sharples that Sir Keith Joseph was right in his views on terraced streets. Joseph was the Minister for Housing and Local Government at the time and oversaw an ambitious programme of slum clearances allied to a target of rebuilding 400,000 new homes per year by 1965. *From Episode 172 (6th August 1962) to Episode 459 (5th May 1965) the programme featured a standardised cast list for the regular characters. This means that in this episode the following were credited but did not appear: Annie Walker (Doris Speed), Kenneth Barlow (William Roache), Dennis Tanner (Philip Lowrie) and Mr Swindley (Arthur Lowe). *''TV Times'' synopsis: ...in which Ena throws some political dynamite *Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 8,559,000 homes (joint 1st place with 30th September 1964). Notable dialogue Ena Sharples (to Nigel Hunt): "Listen lad, the government can make wars without me, they can put prices up without me. The only thing they can't do without me is 'ave me vote. This is the nearest thing I get to running the country and I'm going to make the most of it." Category:1964 episodes